‘We need to get more commercial to protect services’

Aylesbury Vale District Council is taking to the road to talk to local residents about the changes taking place at the council, as it becomes more commercial.

Over the summer AVDC will be attending 12 popular events across the Vale, talking about why the council is changing and promoting their new ventures including Limecart and the Vale Lottery.

In order to promote some of the new commercial ventures, AVDC is offering prize draws when residents sign up to either My Account or Limecart at their stand. Prizes include a bespoke bin storage system or family tickets to Aylesbury Waterside Theatre.

Cllr Janet Blake said: “Over the last six years, we have saved around £14 million, whilst losing 60% of our government grant. We still need to cut another £5 million from our annual £15 million budget by 2020, which will come through a mixture of savings and income generation.

“We believe that the old council model is broken, and in order to protect our key services we are becoming a more commercial organisation, providing the services that our customers and communities really want in a cost effective way.

“The roadshow is providing us with an ideal opportunity to talk directly to our residents, so that we can keep them up to date with these changes – explaining how and why we are becoming more commercial and the savings that need to be made.”

The roadshow has already been to St Mary’s Village Carnival, Edlesborough.

Other dates:

Saturday, July 16 it will be at Party in the Park, Pitstone Recreation Ground from 1pm.

Saturday, July 23 –Aston Abbots Village Fete, Aston Abbots Village Green from 1pm

Saturday, September 3– Stoke Hammond Village Show, The Community Centre, from 11am.